NFL

Four games into every NFL season, things happen completely different from what most expected. This year has not been immune to huge surprises that make us question everything we think we know and our entire being.

In the end, the unpredictable nature of the league is what makes us love it. At the end of the season's first quarter, here are the standout shockers, starting with New York, New York, and yes, New York.

What late fire sale? More like on fire, amiright? Fresh off dusting Denver at home, Buffalo doused Atlanta in its own house. The Bills also were one play away from beating a third current 3-1 team, the Panthers. Rookie coach Sean McDermott's defense has allowed only one passing TD through four games. The ground-and-pound offense has made big plays when needed.

There's an overall physicality to love about this team, just as New England is wilting a bit. The evidence there is to think the Bills will remain a factor in the AFC playoff race, if not make the Patriots a sweat more than false threats from Rex Ryan did.

2. The Jets are a legitimate non-tanking team.

What fold for Sam Darnold? Heck, while New York has started 2-2 with consecutive home wins over Miami and Jacksonville after getting blasted in Buffalo and The Black Hole, it has less work to do get a pick high enough to get him or Josh Rosen.

The Jets have delayed their estimated time of departure from relevancy in 2017. They'll probably step further away from the tank next week against the winless Browns.

3. The Giants are 0-4 ... because of defense.

What scoring slump? There has been too much focus on their overblown offensive line woes and almost non-existent running. As coach Ben McAdoo has put the offense completely in the hands (and legs) of Eli Manning, the results have been there the past two games. But what happened to the dominant run defense, daunting pass rush and downfield coverage from last season? Sure, there have been some injuries, but there's enough of the talent that did the job last season not to fall apart in every capacity.

The Cowboys, Lions, Eagles and Buccaneers pretty much did whatever they wanted against Big Blue's blown assignments. That's why the Giants are in last place in the NFC East with no hope of an Eli Hail Mary to dig out of it.

4. These Patriots are beatable ... at home.

What undefeated season? The Patriots are inches away from being 0-3 when playing in New England, with their only Patriots-like complete outing coming in New Orleans. In the top-heavy AFC, it doesn't take more than one or two games to change the course of the all-important top seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage. New England is already chasing Pittsburgh and the AFC West leaders.

The Patriots' next home game is a rematch with the Falcons, and they soon have very tough road games against the Broncos, Raiders and Steelers. With their defense losing all factors of intimidation, they've got to dig deep to rediscover the Foxborough mystique, or they can forget about the hyped repeat.

5. Anything Carson Wentz can do, Jared Goff can, too.

What weak QB class? OK, we could see this Wentz breakout for the 3-1 Eagles happening after the team invested so much in improving the offense, plus the fact that Wentz flashed plenty as a rookie. But Goff, who looked awful as the 2016 first overall pick, has gone from 0-7 to 3-1 in an unbelievable hurry. Goff got a new left tackle (Andrew Whitworth) and four new key receivers (Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Gerald Everett). And, oh yeah, he has play-calling wunderkind Sean McVay as his head coach instead of anti-offense Jeff Fisher.

So much for these guys not being Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, Deshaun Watson and Mitchell Trubisky (we think) or even Rosen and Darnold. Credit the Eagles and Rams for tailoring everything around their QBs' strengths to welcome them into the realm of solid starters.

6. Matt Ryan is in a most valuable slump.

What elite QB? All 2008 draft classmate Joe Flacco jokes aside, Matty Ice has gone cold and has yet to resemble last season's locked-in, wire-to-wire MVP under Kyle Shanahan. He has been very inaccurate and has coughed up some big turnovers that have turned into scores. Now there's concern about not getting a chance to rev up his struggling connection with go-to guy Julio Jones, who left Sunday's game with a hip injury.

Although new coordinator Steve Sarkisian has kept many of the run-related tenets with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, Atlanta hasn't had the same creative explosiveness in the passing game. Ryan, who had to shake one shaky Shanny year, needs to get going in Year 1 of Sark with the Patriots, Panthers, Cowboys and Seahawks coming soon on the schedule.

7. Deshaun Watson is the best QB in AFC South ... by far.

What raw athlete? Watson is already making a claim as the NFL's most exciting young player as an early Michael Vick-like sensation. He quickly has stolen the thunder from J.J. Watt as the face of the Texans' franchise, on and off the field. Andrew Luck (shoulder) isn't playing and won't be for a while longer. Marcus Mariota (hamstring) looks to be back on the shelf, too. Blake Borltes is still Blake Bortles, even when fully healthy.

What a difference three weeks make. One now wonders why Houston even threw away Week 1 to Jacksonville — a game that is bound to haunt the team later — with Tom Savage, the division's worst QB not named Matt Cassel or Scott Tolzien. Funny how Watson, a seasoned college QB with championship intangibles, would immediately make whatever plays necessary to win games.

OK, it's not. It only happens all the time.

There will be more bumps and lumps, but Watson gives the Texans an asset they've never had over the rest of the AFC South.

8. The Lions aren't going back to being losers.

What re-regression? Matthew Stafford got paid. Jim Caldwell got paid. So they're simply rewarding ownership's expensive faith in them. They needed each other to revive their reputations as leaders and offensive stalwarts, and it has blossomed into a beautiful relationship with no break-up in sight. At 3-1 and playing some complete football, the Lions have chosen not to revert to the 7-9 teams of 2013 and '15, but rather build on the wild cards of 2014 and '16 to push for that playoff breakthrough.

Credit GM Bob Quinn for brining some of the Patriot Way to Detroit with personnel moves to help Stafford, Caldwell and steady defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. The Lions are here to stay, battling the Packers for NFC North titles for as long as Stafford is on the team.

9. The Steelers are winning ... with defense.

What Killer Bs? Antonio Brown isn't happy about not getting the ball when open. Big Ben becomes a different QB on the road. Le'Veon Bell is just coming out of his holdout rust. Reinstated Martavis Bryant is still off. Luckily the team is 3-1, totally in Mike Tomlin's image of Blitzburgh. Ryan Shazier, Cameron Hayward, Stephon Tuitt, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, all back healthy together, are the true stout faces of an old-school approach.

The Steelers will break 30 points at some point soon, when all those superstars get on the same page, and that's when they'll be downright scary. For now, they should love how they've held four opponents to well under 20 points each.

10. Tbe Broncos are winning ... with offense.

What Mile High No-Fly Zone? With all due respect to Von Miller, Aqib Tailb, Chris Harris Jr. and friends finding another gear under Vance Joseph and Joe Woods, the team is 3-1 because it's back into Mike McCoy's groove.

Trevor Siemian is coming through with the right throws at the right times, and the Broncos have found their bread and butter of running the ball efficiently with C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles showing no aftershock of knee injuries behind a much-improved offensive line. They're back to being as versatile as they were in the short Peyton Manning heyday, but in a smarter, more conservative, complementary way.

In a division with the Raiders and Chiefs, the Broncos needed to be better at moving the ball, controlling the ball and scoring points to put the division's best defense in better spots. Once again, John Elway has pushed the right buttons with a wholesale coaching change to make it work.